Building Partnerships for Sustainable

Agriculture and Food Security

A Guide to Country-Led Action

A report by the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative
Prepared in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting
January 2016
Contents Preface

Preface 2 The World Economic Forum is proud to present

Executive Summary
Introduction: A New Model
for Action
The New Vision for Agriculture
Experience: From Global Vision
to Country-Led Action
When and How to Use the
New Vision for Agriculture
Country Partnership Model
The New Vision for Agriculture
Country Partnership Model
The 5 Guiding Principles
The 8-Step Framework for Action
1. Engage
2. Align
3. Structure
4. Plan
5. Implement
6. Advance
“Building Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture
and Food Security: A Guide to Country-Led Action”.
3 This guide has been developed in response to the
growing demand for new models of multistakeholder
collaboration to achieve food security, sustainable
4 development and other global goals outlined in the
UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is based on the
experience of the Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture
(NVA) initiative, which has worked since 2010 to
5 catalyse and support multistakeholder partnerships
that drive improvements in food security, environmental
sustainability and economic opportunity at the
Lisa Dreier national level.
Head of Food A broad network of impassioned leaders has helped
6 Security and catalyse and champion the partnership approach
Agriculture described in this guide. The Transformation Leaders
Initiatives Network, a group of country-level action leaders and
World Economic global experts, have driven innovation on the ground
Forum and contributed many of the insights that shaped
8 the guide. The vision, commitment and hard work
of these leaders has been the key driver behind the
NVA’s success to date. The willingness of diverse
8 stakeholders to innovate, take risks and collaborate in
new ways shaped the new approach described here
9
as the NVA Country Partnership Model.
10
Many organizations have contributed direct or in-kind
13 resources. In particular we would like to acknowledge
the donor agencies that have supported the NVA’s
16 global-level work (including the Governments of the
Netherlands and Canada); the Grow Africa Secretariat
21 (including the Governments of the United States of
24 America, United Kingdom and Switzerland), and the
Grow Asia Secretariat (including the Governments of
26 Australia and Canada).

7. Scale 28 At the World Economic Forum, a small team has

catalysed, supported and developed the efforts
8. Review 32 described here. Forum Managing Directors Sarita
Nayyar and Richard Samans provided overall guidance.
Arne Cartridge and Kavita Prakash-Mani serve as
Conclusion 34 Executive Directors of Grow Africa and Grow Asia,
respectively. The NVA team provided ongoing support
for country partnerships, now led by Tania Strauss in
Annexes collaboration with Saswati Bora and Lorin Fries. A
team at Deloitte Consulting, led by Shay Eliaz and
A. Partnership Structures and 36
Pradeep Prabhala with Katie Webster, helped to frame
Core Functions and write this guide.
B. Grow Asia Project 37 The New Vision for Agriculture has worked with over
Design Checklist 1,400 leaders in 500 organizations on 6 continents
to develop the approaches captured here. Yet we
C. Acknowledgements 38 recognize that we are just at the beginning of the
journey of multistakeholder-led transformation of the
agricultural sector. Our aim in publishing this Guide
is to provide a dynamic resource that will empower
and inspire the leaders who can build on and further
develop these learnings to drive a transformation of
the world’s agricultural and food systems.

2 New Vision for Agriculture

Executive Summary

Over the past five years, the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture (NVA) initiative has supported leaders
in 19 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America to develop action-oriented partnerships on the ground. These
partnerships have mobilized over $10.5 billion in investment commitments, of which $1.9 billion has been implemented to
date, benefiting 9.6 million farmers.
The partnership models that have emerged from these efforts are diverse, but they are built upon a shared vision, a set
of core principles, and series of key tactical steps that are similar across many countries. These elements have been
captured here and described as the NVA Country Partnership Model. This approach can serve as a framework for action
that can be adapted to any local context, and can evolve over time.
Guiding Principles of the NVA Country Partnership Model
–– Locally-owned and aligned with country goals
–– Market-driven with projects led by the private sector and rooted in viable business cases
–– Multistakeholder with open and inclusive engagement from the beginning
–– Holistic integrating full value chains that benefit all actors in the agriculture system
–– Globally connected and supported by an international network providing solidarity and support
Building a multistakeholder partnership is a journey, and partnership leaders continue to improve and refine their approach
over time. Additional research is needed to evaluate the impacts of multistakeholder partnerships and the business model
innovations they promote. Broader opportunities for partnership leaders to share experiences and best practices can help
accelerate the learning process and avoid common pitfalls.
The aim of this guide is to provide a dynamic resource that will empower and inspire the leaders who can build on and
further develop these learnings to drive a transformation of the world’s agriculture and food systems.

The 8-Step Framework for Action

Design Implement Adapt and Scale

1 Engage 4 Plan 7 Scale

Identify and engage
influential Champions across
stakeholder groups, including
government, private sector,
civil society and farmers’
organizations
Define specific goals and
action plans to deliver impact
on the ground, including
framework to measure progress
against goals
Scale and institutionalize
proven models, adapting
lessons and innovations
developed in-country or through
global/regional partnership
exchanges and networks

2 Align 5 Implement 8 Review

Develop a shared partnership
agenda, including high-level
goals and key opportunities
which can be achieved through
multistakeholder collaboration
Implement action plans on Review the partnership
a project-by-project basis strategy and structures
by experimenting with new as needed to seize new
collaboration models, building opportunities over time
business cases to align
funding, and engaging local
actors and experts

3 Structure
Establish the partnership
structure to drive ongoing
collaboration among
organizations
6 Advance
Leverage milestones to drive
progress, including high-level
global leadership convenings
and in-country partnership
meetings

New Vision for Agriculture 3

Introduction: A New Model for Action
To meet the challenge of sustainably feeding 9 billion
people by 2050, the agricultural sector will need to undergo
major transformation. More nutritious food will need to
be produced using fewer resources, bringing greater
benefits to farmers and rural communities. Achieving this
transformation will require new approaches and extensive
coordination among all stakeholders in the agricultural
system. Market-based approaches, while not the only
answer, will be an important tool in the “toolbox” to drive
change – providing the efficiency, scalability and market-
based incentives to power a large-scale effort.
Those key messages formed the heart of the New Vision
for Agriculture defined by global leaders in 2010. To put
the vision into action, leaders recognized the need for
new approaches to partnership and collaboration among
historically disconnected stakeholders.
Starting in 2010 in Tanzania and Vietnam, then expanding
rapidly to other regions, leaders have developed and
championed innovative new partnership platforms at the
country level with support from the NVA’s global network
and a coordinating team based at the World Economic
Forum. As these activities expanded, the Forum joined
with regional institutions to establish two regional platforms
– Grow Africa and Grow Asia – to provide multi-country
support.
The partnerships developed through these efforts are
varied in structure, according to local context and needs.
However they build upon a shared vision, a common
4 New Vision for Agriculture
set of core principles, and a set of key steps involved in
catalysing and developing a partnership at the country level.
This guide aims to distil and share the approach, broadly
characterized as the NVA Country Partnership Model, into
a flexible framework that can be applied in any country.
While developed for the agricultural sector, the approach
can be adapted for use in other sectors as well, and thus
may be useful to a broad array of stakeholders seeking to
support country-led efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable
Development Goals.
This guide outlines the key elements of the NVA Country
Partnership Model. It aims to serve as a resource for several
audiences:
–– Country leaders and stakeholders working to build,
strengthen and scale national-level partnerships in
agriculture
–– Global and regional organizations partnering to advance
food security and sustainable agricultural development
through multistakeholder approaches
–– Leaders and experts who may wish to adapt this
approach for use in other sectors
The guide is not intended to prescribe one set of “right
answers”, but to share the key success factors identified by
the NVA that can generate a successful multistakeholder
partnership effort at the national level. It is intended to serve
as a living document that can be refined over time by local
and global partners working to achieve sustainable and
inclusive development.
The New Vision for Agriculture
Experience: From Global Vision
to Country-Led Action
The New Vision for Agriculture, defined by World Economic Forum Partners in 2010, holds that to meet the world’s needs
sustainably, agriculture must simultaneously deliver food security, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity.
The Vision sets a goal of 20% improvement in each area per decade until 2050.
Achieving those goals requires a transformation of the agricultural
sector, leveraging market-based approaches through a coordinated FOOD ENVIRONMENTAL
effort by all stakeholders, including farmers, government, civil society
SECURITY SUSTAINABILITY
and the private sector.
To enable this transformation, the New Vision for Agriculture (NVA)
initiative has catalysed and supported platforms for multistakeholder
partnership in 19 countries across Africa, South-East Asia, India and
Latin America. It has also helped catalyse two regional platforms –
Grow Africa and Grow Asia – which work to coordinate efforts among
new and existing countries in their respective regions.
These platforms work by creating the infrastructure for distinct groups
of stakeholders to come together and work hand-in-hand to solve the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
economic, social and environmental challenges that affect them all.
Most country-level platforms have catalysed multistakeholder partnerships in multiple value chains, with each engaging
a diverse set of partners who have a stake in building and strengthening the value chains in which they work. In many
countries, the platform is coordinated by a secretariat, or “backbone organization”, which aligns and supports activities
across all value chain partnerships. (See Step 3 for further details on platform structures, including secretariats.)
For the purposes of this guide, the national platforms are referred to as “country partnerships” – but it is important to
keep in mind that these country partnerships are driving action, investment and concrete outcomes through many
multistakeholder collaborations within and across value chains.
Together, NVA-supported partnerships have mobilized over $10.5 billion in investment commitments, of which $1.9 billion
has been implemented, reaching over 9.6 million smallholder farmers.

Exhibit 1: Partnerships Catalysed or Supported by the New Vision for Agriculture Initiative

Grow Africa was co-founded in 2011 by the African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency and the World
Economic Forum. To date, Grow Africa has mobilized over $10 billion in private sector investment commitments,
of which $1.8 billion has already been invested in 12 countries, reaching 8.6 million smallholder farmers.
–– Tanzania: Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor (SAGCOT) –– Ghana
–– Mozambique: Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor –– Malawi
–– Ethiopia: Ethiopian Agriculture Transformation Agency –– Côte d’Ivoire
–– Rwanda: Rwanda Development Board –– Kenya
–– Burkina Faso: Bagre Growth Pole –– Senegal
–– Nigeria: Nigerian Agribusiness Group –– Benin
Grow Asia was founded by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat in 2015. It
has been endorsed by all 10 Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry in ASEAN, and currently supports 5 countries
leading national partnerships, which have collectively reached nearly 500,000 smallholder farmers through 26
value chain initiatives.
–– Indonesia: Partnership for Indonesia Sustainable Agriculture (PISAgro)
–– Vietnam: Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam
–– Myanmar: Myanmar Agricultural Network
–– Philippines: Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture
–– Cambodia: Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture
India Maharashtra: The Maharashtra PPP-IAD engages over 60 organizations in 33 value chains, mobilizing $50
million in investment and reaching almost 500,000 farmers.
Karnataka: In late 2015, the Government of Karnataka launched a public-private partnership to improve
horticulture value chains through technology, value addition and marketing solutions.
Latin Mexico: New Vision for Agrifood Development (VIDA) engages 40 organizations in 4 value chains, mobilizing
America over $40 million in investment and reaching almost 90,000 farmers.

New Vision for Agriculture 5

When and How to Use the New
Vision for Agriculture Country
Partnership Model
The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by NVA-supported country partnerships often serve as
UN Member States in 2015, call for multistakeholder informal solutions to gaps in the existing system. They
partnerships as a key tool to achieve progress across provide a platform for stakeholders to align, set priorities,
multiple sectors. Partnerships are widely cited and co-invest and collaborate in the agricultural sector – often
encouraged among nearly all stakeholders. By working filling a need not met by other organizations. Over time,
together in partnership, all stakeholders – including farmers, the experience of engaging in the partnership may lead
companies, governments and civil society – can drive a participating organizations to develop new institutional
collective effort that produces impact greater than the sum capacities and strategies, reducing or changing the need
of its parts. for the partnership itself. For this reason, it is important to
think of partnerships as living and evolving mechanisms for
Combining the core competencies of diverse organizations collaboration that can adapt to meet changing needs over
through multistakeholder partnerships can generate time, or may be phased out once their purpose has been
benefits such as: fulfilled.
–– Increased financial, human and technical resources
resulting in greater impact on the ground
–– New expertise developed through the combined
knowledge and experience of diverse stakeholders
–– Development of innovative new business and
collaboration models
–– Greater understanding of other stakeholders’
perspectives, goals and capabilities
–– Development of new mindsets, leadership approaches or
institutional strategies across the sector
However partnerships are not an ideal solution for every
problem. Their complexity creates high transaction costs
and relatively lengthy time frames to generate results. The
lack of well-tested, widely-accepted partnership models
generates a great deal of innovation – as well as repetition
of common mistakes. Before embarking on any new
partnership initiative, leaders should evaluate carefully
whether the multistakeholder partnership approach is the
best solution for the problem at hand.
The NVA Country Partnership Model can be the right
approach when:
–– Systemic transformation is needed. The scope of the
challenge is large and complex, with many overlapping
and interlinked issues that cut across sectors,
geographies and actors.
–– Many stakeholders must take action. Interdependent
stakeholders, many of whom don’t usually interact, must
take action together to develop solutions at scale.
This type of broad multistakeholder partnership may not be
the best solution when:
–– One organization can do it. The issue can be tackled
by a single person or organization.
–– Similar efforts already exist. Partnership initiatives are
already in place to tackle the problem.
–– Immediate results are required. The issue needs a
time-sensitive and urgent response.

6 New Vision for Agriculture

Engaging Relevant Stakeholders: A Key to
Partnership Success
To enable collaboration, all stakeholders must recognize
their position as part of a larger ecosystem: one in which all
actors influence each other and their environment, compete
and collaborate, share and create resources, adapt to
emerging challenges, and jointly lead ambitious efforts to
transform the sector. Together, these stakeholders can
develop stronger value chains and systems that lead to
improved outcomes at each stage of food production and
consumption, from “farm to fork”.
It is important to understand the six key stakeholder groups
in an agriculture-sector partnership. Each has a specific role
to play, and each derives unique value from participating.
This is a key differentiator of the NVA partnership model: its
ability to generate concrete outcomes that create value for
the system as a whole and for each individual actor.
The summary below outlines common contributions and
value propositions for each stakeholder group:

Exhibit 2: Key Stakeholder Contributions and Value Derived from Partnerships

Stakeholder Type Key Contributions Value Derived from Partnership

Government
Public sector officials at the
national, state and local level
Private Sector
Global and domestic
companies across the
value chain, including small/
medium-sized enterprises
and “enabling” companies
such as finance and logistics
Farmers
Farmers, often organized
or represented by national
and local cooperatives or
associations
Civil Society
Global, regional or local civil
society organizations working –– Provide technical assistance, funding, capacity
to address food security and
related issues in the country
Donors/International
Organizations
Donors and major
international organizations
dedicated to food security
issues, such as FAO, WFP
and IFAD
Research/Thought Leaders –– Contribute knowledge, advisory support and
Academia, research
organizations and other –– Promote partnership in spheres of influence
thought leaders in the sector
–– Set national goals
–– Establish an enabling policy environment and
invest in infrastructure and other public goods
and services
–– Create effective support mechanisms for farmers
and investors, such as a “one-stop shop” for
investor information and farmer capacity building
–– Invest in value chains, with a long-term view of
investment that goes beyond short-term profit
and considers the sustainability of sector
–– Integrate a partnership approach into a long-
term business strategy
–– Introduce new technologies, research or
business models
–– Influence policy and investment by sharing the
perspectives and recommendations of famers
–– Organize and train farmers, and invest in
implementing new practices
–– Design programmes for environmental and social –– Improved economic, social and environmental
outcomes
building and access to local grassroots networks
in the country –– Opportunity to innovate with new models to
–– Help create accountability for partnership
activities and results, often including developing –– Opportunity to generate long-term, sustainable
and tracking metrics
–– Provide funding for initiatives that drive impact
in specific areas and develop innovative vehicles
for financing/risk management
–– Contribute knowledge, advisory support and
networks in relevant areas of expertise
–– Serve as convener of multistakeholder
gatherings
networks in relevant areas of expertise
–– Improved economic and social outcomes for
citizens
–– New private sector investment in agriculture,
complementing public investment
–– Contributions to major initiatives or legacy
–– Sustainability and stability of business
operations over the long term
–– Opportunity to innovate with new customers,
technologies or business models – opening
brand new markets
–– Alignment with strategic environmental, social
or talent initiatives
–– Access to new technologies, information and
markets
–– Increased yields and income
outcomes – often at higher return on
investment (ROI) than traditional development
projects
drive impact at scale
impact through market-based approaches that
can become financially self-sustaining
–– Improved economic, social and environmental
outcomes – often at higher ROI than traditional
development projects
–– Opportunity to innovate with new models to
drive impact at scale
–– Opportunity to generate long-term, sustainable
impact through market-based approaches that
can become financially self-sustaining
–– Unique opportunity to develop, test and
contribute new ideas
–– Rich insights from “real world” applications

New Vision for Agriculture 7

The New Vision for Agriculture
Country Partnership Model

The New Vision for Agriculture has used a core set of principles to guide its approach, as detailed below.

The 5 Guiding Principles

Multistakeholder, Market-driven, with

Locally-owned
and aligned with
country goals
–– Owned and driven by local
country leaders with direct
stakes in the transformation
of the agricultural sector
–– Supports the country’s
aspirational direction, which
is commonly expressed by
the government through
national plans and goals
–– Engages government
commitment at all levels
with open and
inclusive engagement
from the beginning
–– Engages all relevant stakeholder
groups including government,
local and global private sectors,
international organizations, civil
society, farmers’ associations and
research/academia
–– Builds trust and alignment to
leverage the core competency of
each organization, while ensuring
mutual accountability through a
harmonized framework
–– Focuses on providing opportunities
and sustainable livelihoods for
farmers, particularly smallholders
and women
projects led by the private
sector and rooted in
viable business cases
–– Deploys business models that
are sustainable, evidence-based,
inclusive and aligned with public
sector goals and community needs
–– Measures goals and activities at
the project level, with success
defined by financial, social and
environmental metrics

Globally supported by Holistic, integrating

an international network
providing solidarity and
support
–– Links to global goals (e.g.
Sustainable Development Goals)
and aligns with global initiatives and
networks active in the country
–– Shares and adopts lessons and best
practices across countries
full value chains that
benefit all actors in the
agricultural system
–– Focuses on the most impactful crops/
geographies/issues, utilizing an
integrated approach that links actors
across the entire value chain
–– Coordinates public and private sector
investments across all pieces of the
value chain, from production to
processing to market
–– Ensures economic sectors, such as
finance and IT, are engaged to strengthen
the enabling environment and contribute
innovative products/services

8 New Vision for Agriculture

The 8-Step Framework for Action

Multistakeholder partnerships iterate and evolve over time as they develop and mature. All country sectors are living,
evolving systems, so partnerships must constantly adapt to stay relevant in changing contexts.

The cycles of partnership evolution can be summarized in three 3 Phases of Partnership Evolution
main phases (seen at right). Across these three phases, eight key
steps can be distilled from the experiences of NVA-supported Design
partnerships. These eight steps do not always happen in order, the framework for action
and in many cases multiple steps are under way at the same Implement
time. However, these steps represent a core set of activities that projects and catalyse action
successful country partnerships have undertaken along their
journeys. They are summarized below and described in detail on Adapt and Scale
the following pages. based on learnings

Design Implement Adapt and Scale

1 Engage 4 Plan 7 Scale

Identify and engage
influential Champions across
stakeholder groups, including
government, private sector,
civil society and farmers’
organizations
Define specific goals and
action plans to deliver impact
on the ground, including
framework to measure progress
against goals
Scale and institutionalize
proven models, adapting
lessons and innovations
developed in-country or through
global/regional partnership
exchanges and networks

2 Align 5 Implement 8 Review

Develop a shared partnership
agenda, including high-level
goals and key opportunities
which can be achieved through
multistakeholder collaboration
Implement action plans on Review the partnership
a project-by-project basis strategy and structures
by experimenting with new as needed to seize new
collaboration models, building opportunities over time
business cases to align
funding, and engaging local
actors and experts

3 Structure
Establish the partnership
structure to drive ongoing
collaboration among
organizations
6 Advance
Leverage milestones to drive
progress, including high-level
global leadership convenings
and in-country partnership
meetings

Each step within the guide will include the following types of content:
–– Key Activities that can serve as a simple checklist for each step
–– Tips for Success including how to overcome common challenges or address difficult questions
–– In Focus sections with details on topics of special interest
–– Case Studies from NVA-supported country partnerships to illustrate key concepts

New Vision for Agriculture 9

 STEP
1 ENG AGE
Identify and engage influential Champions across stakeholder groups,
including government, private sector, civil society and farmers’ organizations.

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
Partnerships often begin with a bold aspiration or idea that requires innovation
and multistakeholder leadership to achieve. Engaging the right leaders to drive
and champion such an effort is critical to its success. The spark to catalyse
new efforts in NVA-supported countries has always come through an official
call to action by a senior public official; however in many cases the government
commitment was the result of a proactive effort by private sector or civil society
leaders who saw an opportunity to unlock the country’s potential through
collaboration.
While the experience of every country has been unique, the individuals
developing and driving the NVA-supported partnerships often demonstrate similar characteristics or roles, described by
the five common archetypes for partnership leaders below. Individuals may play more than one role simultaneously, or
may take on different roles at different stages of the partnership.
These archetypes will be used to note leadership roles in Steps 1-3.

Exhibit 3: Five Common Archetypes of Partnership Leaders

Who is this person? What is their role?

A senior public official who uses their Officially articulates the call to action which catalyses
position of power and influence to initiate the a leadership response and commitment in the country
partnership effort

Catalyst

High-level, visionary decision-makers from Collectively lead the effort to launch a new
business and other stakeholder groups who partnership, including engaging personal networks,
are willing to commit to leading action to defining the vision and establishing partnership
transform the country’s agricultural sector strategies and structures (~10-20 people)

Champions

A uniquely passionate individual who “never Leads progress and drives actions taken by
gives up” and spearheads the champions’ champions, especially in initial phases of a
efforts to drive the partnership forward; can be partnership
from any stakeholder group but must be able to
gain trust and wield influence across all groups
Driver

Supporting actors from diverse stakeholder Contribute relevant expertise, provide access to
groups who collaborate with the partnership critical networks and align in-country activities or
in specific areas of expertise initiatives with the partnership

Enablers

A neutral, independent party who Convenes and facilitates discussions among

coordinates and facilitates interactions
across the partnership (e.g. civil society
organization, academic/university leader, or
New Vision for Agriculture, Grow Africa or
Facilitator Grow Asia)
multistakeholder groups, providing a neutral space
for strategic dialogue (often undertakes preparation
in advance of the meetings including landscape
research, securing commitment from stakeholders
and ensuring the alignment of interests)

10 New Vision for Agriculture

Key Activities
Led by Facilitator and Driver, with support from early Champions.

In Focus
Catalyst Champions Driver Enablers Facilitator
Characteristics of
Map the key strategic stakeholders in the country. As a starting Systems Leaders and the
point, map the influential leaders and organizations who are active in Partnership Mindset
the country’s food and agricultural sectors. This is often done through
informal networks, for example with initial private sector contacts helping
to identify major industry players across sectors, and government What does it take to be a
contacts helping to identify active civil society and farmer organizations. transformational leader? The inspiring
Identify individuals who are a high priority for the partnership to engage, individuals championing efforts across
as well as the networks needed to reach them. country partnerships today offer
insight into common success factors:
Articulate the value proposition. In preparation for meetings with –– Ability to listen – and see things
initial Champions, articulate a clear value proposition for joint from a new perspective
coordination, both for the sector overall and for each specific –– Unshakable commitment to the
stakeholder (see Exhibit 2). Each individual will require a different cause – and dedication to keep
approach, and it is helpful to consider the question of what the moving forward in the face of
partnership can do to help the organization be successful. challenges and uncertainty
Secure commitment from initial Champions. During initial –– Ability to inspire commitment at
conversations with each Champion, it is important to develop an all levels – from chief executive
understanding of each individual’s motivations, needs and priorities. officers and ministers to workers
These conversations tend to be most productive on a one-on-one on the ground
basis, as it can take time to earn trust and reveal what truly drives each –– Openness to new ways of working
individual. Spending time upfront to develop trust and confirm the – and flexibility to adapt approaches
existence of shared goals among the right group of core Champions quickly if they don’t work
often goes a long way to build trust and prevent misalignment down –– Humility, and patience – to
the road. maintain motivation and a positive
outlook along the journey

Systems leaders must embrace

and promote “the partnership
mindset” within and across all levels
Tips for Success of participating organizations. This
mindset includes:
What’s the best way to get started? –– An understanding of the complexity
and interlinkages of issues and
Focus on engaging key Champions. Securing commitment from actors across the food system
the first few Champions can be the hardest part, but once in place,
they can be very helpful in building momentum. Target people –– A commitment to making the
who are deeply embedded in the country sector, have strong local system work in order to achieve
networks and have a stake in spurring long-term change. Initial individual goals – rather than
Champions have most often been government officials or major focusing purely on individual goals
private sector players, and these two groups are often most critical –– A willingness to innovate, take
as starting points to mobilize additional players. risks, feel vulnerable and put trust
in others
Look for “the partnership mindset”. It takes a special type of –– The capacity for (and interest in)
leader to drive large-scale transformation. Champions must adopt learning to understand other
new ways of working together in a new “partnership mindset”, with viewpoints and interests
the understanding that each player is an equal partner in driving
economic and social change. These people are not always easy
to find, but recognizing key traits can help identify and develop the For additional guidance on systems
right people for the role (see “In Focus: Characteristics of Systems leadership, refer to the Harvard
Leaders and the Partnership Mindset”). Kennedy School publication, “Tackling
Global Challenges: Lessons in System
Leadership from the World Economic
Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture
Initiative.”

New Vision for Agriculture 11

 ST EP
1 CASE ST UDIES
TANZANIA
Multistakeholder Momentum Catalysed
by a President
Catalyst: President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania heard
the New Vision for Agriculture articulated during the World
Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010, and recognized
alignment with the goals of Tanzania’s agricultural sector,
where the local government and private sector had
already identified priorities for private-sector led action and
investment through the Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First)
national vision.
Facilitator and Driver: President Kikwete asked the World
Economic Forum to help engage and convene the global
community, including international investors, to support
Tanzania’s agriculture-sector development in the context
of the New Vision. The New Vision for Agriculture team
met with Tanzanian leaders, briefed global companies on
Tanzania’s interest in launching a partnership, and arranged
and prepared for the first convening of all interested
stakeholders in May 2010.
Champions: At the May 2010 World Economic Forum on
Africa, the President chaired a series of multistakeholder
dialogues with leaders of government, global and local
businesses, international organizations and donor agencies,
civil society and farmer leaders. These stakeholders
committed to form a new collaborative effort to advance
agriculture in Tanzania through the development of growth
corridors, with an initial focus on the Southern Agricultural
Growth Corridor (SAGCOT). The President established
a multistakeholder task force, co-chaired by Minister of
Agriculture Stephen Wasira and Unilever Executive
Vice-President Frank Braeken, to develop an investment
blueprint for the corridor that was launched eight months
later by the Prime Minister in Dar es Salaam and the
President at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in
Davos.
Enablers: A consortium of expert consultants led by
ProRustica and AgDevCo developed the investment
blueprint, drawing from their experience with Mozambique’s
Beira Corridor and from the input of other stakeholders,
including USAID, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, AGRA,
farmers’ organizations and agribusiness and financial-
sector companies.
12 New Vision for Agriculture
MEXICO
Strong Championship by the Domestic
and Global Private Sector
Catalyst: In 2011, Mexican Minister of Agriculture
Francisco Mayorga Castaneda approached the Forum to
propose collaboration to achieve Mexico’s agriculture goals
through the New Vision for Agriculture. (Following his tenure,
two successive ministers – Enrique Martinez y Martinez and
Jose Eduardo Calzada Rovirosa – have further developed
and championed the partnership.)
Facilitator: The minister requested that the World
Economic Forum help engage global players investing in
Mexico and facilitate initial public-private discussions on the
value of creating a new country-level partnership.
Champions: A group of private sector leaders from
local and global companies, including Grupo Altex,
Grupo Minsa, Nestle and PepsiCo, were passionate
about transforming Mexico’s agricultural sector through
partnership. These Champions led efforts throughout 2011-
2012 to engage and align interests among the private sector
and the Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA), focused on five
major commodity value chains. The approach sparked new
collaborations and was supported and publicly endorsed by
the Minister of Agriculture.
Driver: A domestic company called Grupo Altex
designated a senior executive, Enrique Merigo, with a
passion for the cause to coordinate partnership efforts on
behalf of the Champions.
Enablers: Enablers supporting the effort included the
Consejo Nacional Agropecuario (CAN, Mexico’s largest
producers’ association), the Asociacion Mexicana de
Secretarios de Desarrollo Agropecuario (AMSDA, an
association of state-level governments), USDA and IMCO
(a Mexican research organization).
 STEP
2 ALIG N
Develop a shared partnership agenda, including high-level goals and top
opportunities that can be achieved through multistakeholder collaboration.

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
A shared partnership agenda often encompasses the following elements:
–– Vision statement. Set a clear definition of the partnership’s objectives (ideally encompassing economic, social and
environmental dimensions, which are aligned with the country’s national goals).
–– High-level, aspirational, time-bound targets for impact (e.g. reach 1 million farmers by 2015). Set a quantity big
enough to make an impact and realistic enough to create buy-in and actionable plans to achieve it.
–– Shared priorities for the partnership. Set priorities based on areas of highest impact or potential within the country –
keeping in mind that the ultimate outcomes to work towards are the establishment of new value chains that benefit all
actors from the farmer to the consumer:
°° Commodity/crop value chains that are both commercially viable and socially impactful
°° Cross-cutting issues (e.g. agrifinance, ICT, infrastructure) that can be addressed through multistakeholder
coordination
°° Geographical regions

Key Activities
Led by Facilitator and Driver, with key
input from Champions and Enablers. Catalyst Champions Driver Enablers Facilitator

Conduct country landscape analysis. To set a joint vision, an aligned understanding must be developed on the state of
agriculture in the country, including opportunities and challenges within specific value chains. Leverage existing analyses
and/or undertake new academic mappings, which could be funded by donors, the government or by initial Champions as
“seed funding”. The analysis can also be conducted informally with stakeholder surveys and interviews.
Convene initial Champions and unblock communication. Bring Champions together to facilitate open discussions on
each stakeholder’s goals and challenges within the agricultural sector. Listen to understand the experience of others, and
start identifying mutual priorities. Keep in mind that while each stakeholder has their own goals that they hope to achieve
through partnership, these discussions can help align complementary goals that can together achieve the shared vision. It
is important to engage all key stakeholders in this process from the start – while this can initially increase complexity and
slow down the alignment process, it increases the partnership’s likelihood of long-term success by establishing a strategy
that is co-designed and broadly supported.
Define the partnership agenda. Based on the areas of overlap identified in partnership discussions, align on a vision,
high-level goals and a set of priorities to focus partnership activities. To maximize impact in the country, it is critical
to ensure alignment with national frameworks (often under the Ministry of Agriculture, Investment/Economy, Rural
Development, etc.), and where possible global or regional initiatives active in the country (e.g. the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme, etc.).

New Vision for Agriculture 13

 Tips for Success

How can trust be built?

Leadership personalities are key. The initial group of leaders must set the tone in the spirit of “the partnership
mindset” (see “In Focus: The Partnership Mindset”).
Acknowledge and set aside tensions upfront. There are often strong and long-held tensions between
stakeholder groups, particularly in country contexts where public-private cooperation is a new idea. Acknowledge
and agree to set aside existing distrust and conflict among stakeholders. Focus instead on areas of agreement, and
use the partnership process (dialogue, action planning, and collaboration) to build trust through direct experience.
Lean on a neutral Facilitator. The Facilitator can be very helpful to create a “spirit of partnership” among
stakeholders who are wary of or unfamiliar with each other. The facilitator also helps to provide a sense of neutrality,
credibility and fairness – establishing “rules of the game,” such as equal participation by all stakeholders.

What if the group can’t align on a set of priorities?

Emphasize flexibility. Partnerships don’t always know the right opportunities until they start, so the agenda should
be built with flexibility in mind to ensure it stays relevant over time.
Consider focus on “value chain entry points”. Some partnerships have started with one commodity value chain
as an entry point to test and demonstrate the value of the partnership approach – for example Nigeria and Ghana
started with cassava and are now expanding into other crops. This approach is best pursued in crops that are
“most likely to succeed”, such as those with strategic national importance, demonstrated commercial potential and
a mature regional market with active demand and producers across the value chain.

14 New Vision for Agriculture

 ST EP
2 CASE ST UDIES
VIETNAM
Creating a Partnership Agenda to Support Vietnam’s
10-Year Plan
In 2010, Vietnam was preparing a 10-year national
plan for agriculture, with 10 strategic crops selected for
highest potential impact. The New Vision for Agriculture’s
three goals of food security, economic opportunity and
environmental sustainability resonated with the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, who recognized that
the government had similar goals for Vietnam’s agricultural
sector and needed to engage the private sector to succeed.
The NVA team identified and engaged key stakeholders
from the private sector who could contribute to the agenda,
and held a strategic dialogue with the initial group of
13 companies, academic experts and the Government
of Vietnam to map top opportunities for collaboration.
The group agreed to focus on five value chains that
were a high priority for both business and government:
coffee, fisheries, fruits and vegetables, tea and maize.
By the end of the meeting, Vietnam’s Public-Private Task
Force on Sustainable Agriculture was created with a
goal of advancing sustainable, large-scale, agricultural
production with improvements in productivity, quality and
competitiveness in efforts to achieve national food security
and economic growth. The partnership officially changed
its name in 2015 to become the Partnership for Sustainable
Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV).
INDONESIA
Creating a Partnership to Support Government
Plans for Food Security
In 2011, the Ministers of Agriculture and Trade of Indonesia
learned of early partnership progress in Vietnam and were
interested in launching a multistakeholder effort to support
Indonesia’s national plan for food security. The NVA’s goals
of food security, economic opportunity and environmental
sustainability contributed directly to the government’s plan,
and initial one-on-one conversations between the World
Economic Forum and private sector Champions revealed
that the NVA’s “20/20/20” targets resonated as tangible,
measurable goals that stakeholders were willing to work
towards.
The Forum facilitated two initial meetings between four
ministries, seven private companies and experts, where the
private sector leaders put forward 10 priority commodities
that would contribute to the government’s food security
plan: coffee, cocoa, corn, dairy, horticulture, palm oil,
potatoes, rubber, rice and soybean. The meetings resulted
in an official launch of the Partnership for Indonesia
Sustainable Agriculture (PISAgro) to provide an innovative,
multistakeholder model to advance economic growth,
global food security and environmental sustainability
through a market-based approach. PISAgro adopted the
NVA’s Vision 20-20-20, with targets of increasing farm
yields by 20%, reducing poverty by 20% and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by 20% – all by 2020.
New Vision for Agriculture 15
 STEP
3 STRUCTUR E
Establish the partnership structure to drive ongoing collaboration among
organizations

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
Driving progress on a shared agenda across many organizations requires strong management and coordination. As the
partnership transitions from visioning to action planning, structures must be put in place to help formalize the partnership’s
mandate for action and build ownership and commitment to the agenda among all individuals. Coordinating structures
can be set up formally or informally during initial stages of the partnership, and many adapt over time. While each NVA-
supported partnership platform has established unique coordination structures based on the local environment, three
levels of leadership are normally involved:
Direction-Setting Group
–– A Direction-Setting Group to provide governance and strategic guidance
for the overall partnership Working Groups
–– Working Groups to drive action on specific projects
–– A Secretariat to facilitate and coordinate partnership activities across
all groups Secretariat

The roles and composition of these groups are summarized below. For the remainder of this guide, reference will be made
to these three groups to describe key leadership roles.

Exhibit 4: Three Key Leadership Groups

Who is involved? What is their role? Who leads?

Direction-Setting –– High-level, visionary
Group decision-makers who are
willing to commit to leading
action (includes Champions,
Catalyst and/or Driver)
–– Define and champion the –– 1-2 co-chairs, most often from
vision the public and/or private sector
–– Guide strategic decisions –– Rotating leadership across all
and ensure delivery on partners (as used by some
commitments multistakeholder partnerships)
–– Grow the partnership’s
impact

Working Groups –– All stakeholder groups
across the food system
who collaborate with
the partnership on
implementation (includes
Champions and Enablers)
–– Define and implement –– 1 leading organization
action plans committed to action in a
–– Build the business case specific value chain or issue
and secure funding area:
–– Monitor and share results –– Value chain groups led by a
company to provide business
value
–– Issue groups led by any
stakeholder – i.e. a university
for sustainability, or a farmer
leader for smallholder models

Secretariat –– Neutral, independent –– Engage partners –– Secretariats come in many

coordinator who facilitates –– Broker collaboration shapes and sizes and are
interactions across the structured to provide tailored
–– Shape strategy
partnership; this partnership support to each partnership
facilitator should be impartial, –– Convene and organize (see further details below)
without political or economic –– Monitor and report
motivation, to gain the trust –– Support partnership
of all involved stakeholders leadership and
(includes Facilitator) governance

16 New Vision for Agriculture

Key Activities Tips for Success
Led by Driver and Facilitator, with input from all Champions.
How can individuals prepare
and secure buy-in from their own
organizations?

Catalyst Champions Driver Enablers Facilitator Communicate partnership value

throughout the organization.
Before taking formal and active
Appoint leaders of Direction-Setting Group and Working Groups. leadership roles, each individual
Leaders should be identified for each of these groups, as each plays must secure the explicit support of
a key role in formalizing the partnership’s mandate and driving action their organization. Commitment from
forward. Note that assigning individual commitments may require the top is critical, but support from
securing additional levels of buy-in – i.e. a regional or global office for a peers and team members is also
company, or senior government officials. important to bring the organization
along the partnership journey.
Establish initial coordination capacity. A partnership can take
significant time, energy and resources to coordinate across all Set expectations. Active Working
stakeholders. Most NVA-supported countries have found it critical to Group leaders estimate that they
establish an independent secretariat with full-time staff, though the spend anywhere from 20% to 60%
structure, process and timeline to do so vary by the partnership’s needs. of their time on the partnership, with
Some set up an independent secretariat at the outset, while others wide variations based on scope of
assign an informal coordinating role as an interim step to scope more activity, individual roles and existing
permanent options. partnership structures. Set and align
expectations to meet the needs of
Establish the secretariat by answering five critical design questions
the partnership.
(see “In Focus: Establishing a Secretariat”):
–– Funding model: Who funds the secretariat (e.g. public, private and/or
donor funds)? How can shared ownership and
–– Institutional identity: Is the secretariat based in a new or commitment be created among all
existing organization? If it’s based in an existing organization, is it partners?
independently governed? Create structures for shared
–– Core functions: What is the secretariat’s function and purpose? ownership and transparency.
–– Staffing model: Who leads the secretariat, and what resources and An independent secretariat and
skills are required? multistakeholder governance are
–– Governance: What combination of stakeholders will form a structural elements that can help
governing body? give an equal voice to all partners.
Define clear commitments
and “rules of engagement.”
Leaders need clarity on the roles
and expectations of each partner,
including resource commitments,
intellectual capacity and/or monetary
investments. Define “rules of
engagement” to help manage
interactions among the group.
Define “guiding principles” for
the partnership that reflect
the core values shared by all
partners. Such principles need not
be rigid, but are intended to guide
overarching activities and help
resolve conflicting priorities or value
judgments among different partners.

New Vision for Agriculture 17

 Establishing a Secretariat

As the partnership transitions from visioning to action planning, an independent

secretariat provides value in three ways:
–– Focus. With a full-time staff handling coordination, other partners spend less time on In Focus
administration and can focus on driving action towards goals.
–– Commitment. Contributing resources requires a sense of ownership to the partnership agenda,
leading to stronger commitment and alignment among partners.
–– Professionalism. A professional staff, office and website provide credibility to the partnership, which helps to
mobilize new partners, resources and staff.

Leaders must answer five key design questions as they set up a new secretariat. The following considerations can
help countries build a strong secretariat that is right for the local context:
–– How will the secretariat be funded? Partnership leaders must first consider which stakeholders they would like
to engage in funding the secretariat. Options can include multistakeholder or exclusively private-sector funding
models. Different funders will have different priorities, which can inform the partnership’s strategic direction
and activities. For example funders may require the secretariat to take on specific functions or measure certain
results. Partnership leaders can develop proposals to meet the interests of different potential funders and
partners, including
°° Definition of the partnership’s value to the sector as a whole and to specific stakeholders – and the
importance of supporting the secretariat to enable the execution of its vision and goals.
°° What activities potential funders are willing to support (e.g. value chain development; work on specific
issues; knowledge management and monitoring; etc.). Partnerships may be able to secure funding for
specific initiatives, such as measurement and evaluation or capacity building, before securing longer-term
funding for a full secretariat.
°° What specific services will be provided by the secretariat, and what value it will provide to partners
–– Where is the secretariat hosted? Many countries with formal secretariats have opted to create a new
independent organization, which provides neutrality and flexibility to adapt to the unique nature of the
partnership. Another option would be to host the secretariat within an existing neutral organization, such as a
university or international institution. For example the World Economic Forum hosted the Grow Africa partnership
in its initial phase and now the secretariat has moved to the NEPAD agency.
–– What will the secretariat do? Each country partnership will have unique needs, and the functions of the
country’s Secretariat should be tailored accordingly. Common roles are summarized in the above chart, but each
country will need to assess its own needs and resources.
–– How can the right people be secured? The skill set required for effective secretariat leadership and staffing
can be quite unique. Professionals who have high energy and drive, a “partnership mindset” and experience with
different stakeholder sectors can be in high demand. Some useful tips include:
°° Assemble a team with diverse and complementary backgrounds.
°° Hire consultants or interns to fill gaps on a short-term basis.
°° Over time, consider training programmes for new hires and partners to expand the pipeline of partnering skills
within the partnership’s network.
–– How will the secretariat be governed? Inclusive and transparent governance is essential to ensure that all
partners see their interests represented in strategic and tactical partnership decisions.

18 New Vision for Agriculture

 ST EP
3 CASE ST UDIES
TANZANIA
Multistakeholder Structures

Tanzania’s SAGCOT Centre Ltd. was established shortly

after the President’s launch of the SAGCOT Investment
Blueprint to capitalize on the leadership momentum and
facilitate partnerships for inclusive and sustainable agricultural
development in the region. Initial commitments from the
government, development partners and other stakeholders
established the group, with a secretariat design that was
later refined with support from Grow Africa and others.
Individuals on the initial Executive Committee leveraged the
Blueprint to secure the tangible commitments and funding resources. The partnership’s multistakeholder origins were
reflected in many of the secretariat’s structural decisions, including a multistakeholder governance board, multistakeholder
funding streams and core staff leadership with experience from the public, private and civil society sectors.

Exhibit 5: Highlights of the Tanzania Model

Funding –– 7 grant agreements, including 6 donors and the Government of Tanzania

–– Nominal membership fees from partner companies and institutions to cover meeting expenses

Institutional –– Independent entity: non-profit organization

Identity/Host

Secretariat 3 main functions:

Functions –– Serve as an administrative unit to coordinate partnership activities
–– Share information across the partnership
–– Act as an honest broker between different partners
Additional activities:
–– Identify and support partners to address bottlenecks that hinder implementation of inclusive
investments
–– Map market and value chain opportunities for green and inclusive development in SAGCOT’s
clusters
–– Highlight environmental sustainability issues and help mobilize resources and stakeholders to
address them
Leadership and –– Led by a CEO with centralized and regional support from 15 staff and 15 consultants
Staffing –– Experienced leadership team acquainted with the public, private and civil society sectors

Governance –– SAGCOT Board (multistakeholder board)

Structure –– Participation by 7 members including the Minister of Agriculture, the private sector, the World
(i.e. Direction- Economic Forum and other independent experts representing universities, research institutes and
Setting Group) consultancies
Working Group –– 13 value chain-based Working Groups led by private sector investors
Structure –– In the Ihemi geographic cluster, SAGCOT partners have also established a Green Reference
Group to provide guidance on sustainability and inclusivity issues and a Finance Working Group
that identifies financial solutions across value chain initiatives

New Vision for Agriculture 19

 ST EP
3 CASE ST UDIES
INDONESIA
A Private Sector-Driven Model

In Indonesia, the launch of PISAgro was driven by a core

group of seven founding company Champions who worked
for 18 months after their first meeting to establish the
right partnership structures. Due to the complexity of the
Indonesian agricultural sector and the private sector’s
central role in driving the partnership, Champions made
sure they had the right global and domestic companies
truly committed to the partnership (including buy-in at the
chief executive officer level and a commitment to fund the
secretariat) before moving forward with projects. This private sector ownership is reflected in PISAgro’s secretariat funding
model, private sector Board and value-added services provided by the secretariat.

Exhibit 6: Highlights of the Indonesia Model

Funding –– Annual membership fees of over 20 partner companies

–– 5+ companies committed to 5-year funding to ensure the sustainability of the partnership
(including full-time instead of contract secretariat staff)

Institutional –– Independent entity: non-profit organization

Identity/Host

Secretariat –– Support PISAgro Board in its key roles, in particular in articulating key actions recommended for
Functions national and regional government
–– Link across key internal and external stakeholders
–– Facilitate information sharing and disseminating best practices
–– Assure transparency of progress of Working Groups, i.e. providing standardized reporting format
along the key parameters
–– Attract new members
–– Serve as one-door access for government entities to PISAgro
Leadership and –– Led by an Executive Director with 2 staff
Staffing –– Supported by a lean team balanced by strong company commitments: each partner company
must contribute a staff member to work on the partnership

Governance –– PISAgro Board (private sector and civil society) co-chaired by President Director of Nestle
Structure Indonesia and CEO of Sinar Mas Agribusiness
(i.e. Direction- –– Participation by 7 founding companies, the International Finance Corporation, IDH - Sustainable
Setting Group) Trade Initiative
–– Engagement of advisers from 4 government ministries and Grow Asia
Working Group –– 10 commodity Working Groups, led by the private sector
Structure –– 1 cross-cutting Working Group on agrifinance

20 New Vision for Agriculture

 STEP
4 PL A N
Define specific goals and action plans to deliver impact on the ground,
including a framework to measure progress against goals.
Engage Align Structure Plan Implement
Overview
The exercise of defining goals and action plans is important to conduct for both the overall partnership and for each
specific Working Group. Plans and targets should be coordinated across the partnership so that all projects are aligned to
reinforce common goals.
To ensure effective delivery, it is important to define clear roles and responsibilities of the different partners, and to agree
on structures for mutual accountability. This includes regular meetings to ensure follow-through, and definition of an
impact framework to track progress towards agreed goals over time.
Key Activities
Led by Direction-Setting
Direction-Setting Group
Group and Secretariat at Working Groups
the partnership level, and
Working Group leaders
at the Working Group level. Secretariat
At the partnership level:
–– Align on partnership-wide goals and impact targets. Set
overarching action goals and impact targets to guide Working
Group goal-setting. Leaders should also set measurable targets
for the partnership effort itself, such as stakeholders engaged,
meetings scheduled or systemic challenges addressed.
–– Define a framework for mutual accountability. This should
include clear and simple processes to collect information,
communicate and report progress across the partnership,
including key performance indicators (KPIs).
–– Set major partnership-level meetings and milestones for
key deliverables. This may include regular secretariat meetings
with the governance committee, Working Group leaders and/or
the full partnership (see Step 6).
At the Working Group level:
–– Define specific goals and action plans. This should include
activities, roles/responsibilities of each partner and timelines
for deliverables. It is ideal to enact a robust results framework
with “bifocal goals” that include short-term and medium-term
goals linking to the longer term, visionary goals to achieve
transformation of the sector. Keep in mind that some value
chains may take longer to produce results, for example those
lacking existing infrastructure or based on perennial crops. (For
additional guidance on building an action plan, see the Grow Asia
Project Design Checklist in Annex B.)
–– Define Working Group-level reporting processes.
Working Groups should also establish internal reporting and
communication procedures to enable consistent project
monitoring and swift action where needed to troubleshoot.
Individual Working Groups or projects may choose to define
additional indicators beyond the partnership-level KPIs, based
on what is most relevant to their specific partners and goals.
–– Implement regular meetings and communications. Based
on the major milestones set at the partnership level, Working
Groups can set their own regular interim checkpoints and
milestones to drive progress towards major delivery points.
Advance Scale Review
Tips for Success
How can the shared ownership of
action plans be instilled to strengthen partner
engagement and commitment?
Be inclusive. Action plans should not reflect
the plans of just one stakeholder, but should
be a collaborative process that accounts for
the goals, plans and expected contributions
of all organizations. Many partnerships and
Working Groups set up co-chairs to ensure
the representation of varied stakeholder
interests.
Empower leaders throughout all levels of
each organization. Working Group leaders
must be empowered by their respective
organizations to make decisions and drive
action forward. These leaders must in turn
encourage and support the same principles
of ownership and commitment across all
levels involved with implementation.
How can impact be measured?
Leverage external tools and expertise.
The NVA has defined a global impact
framework with suggested indicators, and
Grow Asia has developed a comprehensive
theory of change and monitoring and
an evaluation framework (see “In Focus:
Measuring Impact”).
Keep it simple. KPIs should not become
an overwhelming burden for partners to
track, so focus only on the most meaningful
measures of progress. Organizations often
have existing reporting requirements,
methodologies or even templates that can
provide a good starting point for defining and
tracking indicators for all partners. Complex
indicators can be phased into reporting over
time, and should not slow the partnership in
launching projects and building momentum.
New Vision for Agriculture 21
 Measuring Impact
Measuring impact is an important tool for partnerships and should be considered essential
to tracking progress towards joint targets. The NVA has defined a set of indicators that
country partnerships can use to track progress across the three dimensions of food
security, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity. In Focus
Project indicators to be tracked by country partnerships:
99 Dollars invested (actual) and committed to specific projects
99 Number of farmers engaged (by gender)
99 Percentage and metric tonnage change in yield per hectare
99 Percentage change in farmer net income
99 Percentage change in water use per tonne of production in areas under irrigation
99 Number of hectares adopting improved technologies, practices and solutions through the project
99 Proportion of project area covered by landscape-level biodiversity management plans
99 Percentage change in rate of greenhouse gas emissions (optional)
99 Soil health, e.g. depth of top soil, pH, soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient levels (optional)
Grow Asia has also defined its theory of change, which can help country partnerships understand how activities
result in specific outputs and contributions to short-term and long-term goals.

Exhibit 7: Grow Asia Theory of Change for Year 1

Impact

Enhanced food and Strengthen smallholder Enhanced environmental

nutrition security agriculture and rural economics sustainability
Long-term
Outcome

Implementation at scale of sustainable and inclusive business models in

partnership across value chains
Short-term
Outcomes

Supporting businesses to adopt more Catalysing investment and collaboration Promoting policies to strengthen the
sustainable and inclusive practices for new business initiatives enabling environment

Convene agribusiness decision-makers, Support innovations, sharing good

policy leaders, financiers, and practitioners practices, and building capacity
Outputs

Broker
new country Strengthen and expand existing country partnerships
partnerships

Explore opportunities in
Cambodia and other countries
Establish secretariats in Vietnam,
Philippines, Myanmar
Activities
Organize networking events Develop bottom-up research agenda Design and roll-out
in collaboration with partners monitoring plan
Broker partnerships
Host inclusive agribusiness roundtable Develop project dashboard
Identify investment
opportunities

Commission research and disseminate Report on project impacts

Strengthen/scale partnerships in findings including policy briefs and partnership activities
Indonesia and Vietnam
Create a Best Practice Exchange
Develop guidance on
partnerships and projects
Review projects

Design Country Partnership Fund

Design an Innovation Fund

22 New Vision for Agriculture

 ST EP
4 CASE ST UDIES
ETHIOPIA
Tracking 84 Deliverables from Project Leads to
the Prime Minister
The Ethiopian Agriculture Transformation Agency (ATA)
was established in 2010 by the Government of Ethiopia,
with advisory and funding support from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. Its mission is to promote agricultural
sector transformation by supporting existing structures of
government, private sector and other non-governmental
partners to address systemic bottlenecks in delivering on
a priority national agenda for achieving growth and food
security.
To fulfil this mandate, the ATA has helped to define 84
deliverables across 31 programme areas, which focus on
different value chains, cross-cutting initiatives (e.g. gender
or environment), or systems (e.g. cooperatives, seeds
and input/output markets). Each project provides regular
updates to the Agricultural Transformation Council on the
status of deliverables as “red”, “yellow” or “green” according
to progress along one or more relevant dimensions
(including engagement with smallholders and introduction
of innovative ideas). The Transformation Council reviews
this information in quarterly meetings chaired by the Prime
Minister and helps course-correct as needed.
MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Goal-Setting and Impact Measurement at
the Project Level
The Maharashtra PPP-IAD has defined a target of reaching
2.5 million farmers by 2020. To track progress towards
this target and to enable project evaluation across the
partnership, each project prepares detailed project reports
during planning and after completion. These reports include
information on project cost, period of implementation,
area under project intervention and districts reached, and
farmers impacted.
Depending on the goals defined by each project,
some choose to define additional impact targets. The
Maharashtra soybean project set a goal to increase farmer
income through agri-extension services and a new direct
procurement channel. Project leaders defined a set of
activities and desired short-term outcomes to achieve
those goals, and measured progress towards targets on
eight project components, including farmers reached for
soil testing, farmers linked to a commodity spot exchange,
hectares included in demonstration plots, distribution of
certified seeds and tons of soybean procured.
New Vision for Agriculture 23
 STEP
5 IMPLEMENT
Implement action plans on a project-by-project basis by experimenting with new collaboration
models, building business cases to align funding, and engaging local actors and experts.
Engage Align Structure
Overview
Projects are executed within the Working Groups,
and each Working Group typically has one or multiple
projects under way at any given time. Projects may
include “precompetitive” models involving multiple
companies and stakeholders, “competitive” models led
by one investing company, or a mix of both.
Key Activities Direction-Setting Group
Led by Working
Group leaders
Working Groups
and/or specific
companies
investing. Secretariat
Design projects and build the business case. Funds
for the projects must be secured on a project-by-project
basis and rooted in a business case for each participating
organization. Projects can align multiple funding sources,
which often include:
–– Private sector investment: Participating companies
should be the primary source of project investment,
and financing is typically secured from within the
business after an evaluation of the business case and
alignment with the company’s strategic goals.
–– Public sector co-investment: Many governments
have formal or informal investment mechanisms in
place that can be aligned with private sector funding.
For example, the State Government of Maharashtra
has a formal programme to co-invest in private sector-
driven value chain projects through the partnership,
and Philippines and Mexico have worked to align
existing government funding programmes to projects
driven by partnership Working Groups.
–– Donor grants: Donors can contribute funding to
projects that advance environmental and social goals,
especially as related to smallholder farmers.
Engage local players. Successful projects often include
a wide variety of partners across the value chain. Project
leaders should not assume that they will find all the
required knowledge and expertise within the partnership
already, but should continually identify and engage local
country experts on everything from farmer training to
R&D.
Implement, test and experiment with new models
over time. Projects may not always “get it right” the first
time, so it is critical to stay flexible and experiment with
new models and partners as the project moves forward.
Models may need adjustments as lessons are learned and
projects expand to reach larger numbers of farmers (see
“In Focus: Precompetitive Collaboration Models”).
24 New Vision for Agriculture
Plan Implement Advance Scale Review
Tips for Success
How can projects be designed for scale
at the outset?
Start with off-takers and organize the value chain
to meet demand. Without a buyer at the end of the
value chain, benefits will be limited. Consider that new
training and technology should ultimately convert to
more income for farmers, not just more production.
Involve farmers in project design. Try not to
assume too much about the needs of farmers,
and instead involve them in early conversations to
understand their needs and design projects that
address their biggest challenges – which could
include training, financing or access to technology
and market information. (For information on
smallholder engagement models, refer to “From
Smallholder to Small Business” from the Grow Africa/
IDH Smallholder Working Group.
Emphasize precompetitive collaboration
models. Competitors often come together to
address systemic issues through “precompetitive”
collaboration models that allow them to spur action
on challenges that no one actor can solve alone (see
“In Focus: Precompetitive Collaboration Models”).
How can farmers best be engaged when starting a
new project?
Leverage existing relationships. If farmers in
a certain crop or geography have not yet been
engaged by the partnership, scan the networks of all
partners to identify any existing relationships – many
companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
or local governments may already be working with
relevant farmer groups through previous projects.
Use examples to illustrate success and gain
farmer buy-in. Extension workers can show success
stories from demo plots and highlight the results for
previous farmers in terms of yield increases, farmer
incomes and other factors that may resonate in the
local context (e.g. water use or resilience to pests/
drought). “Farmer ambassadors” can also help
share success stories directly, which can be
especially powerful through in-person farmer visits
to demo plots.
 Precompetitive Collaboration Models
A precompetitive model allows companies and other market players to jointly address
challenges that affect them all but are too large to be solved by any one entity. By pooling
knowledge and resources, partners can address systemic gaps (e.g. in infrastructure, farmer
training or market access), which ultimately creates more opportunities for everyone in the In Focus
long run. Benefits of precompetitive models include:
–– Combining the unique competencies and resources of individual actors to undertake larger and more impactful
projects than would be possible individually
–– Allowing actors to distribute risk and share knowledge when operating in new environments
–– Helping to galvanize commitments from new partners, for example if they see previous barriers to investment
being addressed
–– Prompting donors to be more willing to provide project funding when multiple companies or market players are
involved
It is important to note that while partners can pursue a precompetitive agenda to address certain systemic
challenges, companies can simultaneously pursue their own competitive agenda. For example, while the project as
a whole may have a set of shared targets and require the sharing of key learnings/best practices for the benefit of
the partnership, companies still work with a set group of farmers on their portions of the demonstration plots and
do not disclose financial arrangements or other strategic considerations.

ST EP
5 CASE ST UDY
VIETNAM
Precompetitive Collaboration in the Vietnam
Task Force on Coffee
In Vietnam, coffee trees were ageing and becoming less
productive, threatening farmer livelihoods and the long-term
viability of the sector. Companies from the Vietnam Task Force
on Coffee came together in a unique precompetitive model
to engage government, research, domestic companies and
farmers in a joint effort to replace coffee trees in key coffee-
growing regions. Key elements of the model included:
–– Engaging research institutes to identify seedling varieties
with the highest yields in local conditions and advise on
best practices to grow new trees with minimal environmental impacts
–– Streamlining all training activities across companies, which had previously been training some of the same farmers in
different practices, and partnering with the National Agro Extension Centre to lead training across all demo plots
–– Setting up farmer cooperatives and farmer groups to enable the provision of financing solutions through a wholesale
model and direct linkages with the input companies
–– Working with provincial and national governments to strengthen the inspection of coffee seeds, educate local
coffee growers about labels of origin, and create preferential policies to support the planting of new trees, such as
infrastructure investments and access to financial services
–– Certifying the sustainability of the coffee production through engaging NGOs
–– Sharing best practices between companies
The comprehensive approach has demonstrated significant impact through 75 demo plots engaging over 4,000 farmers.
For example, in 2014 farmer yields increased by 21% and carbon emissions were reduced by 63%.

New Vision for Agriculture 25

 STEP
6 ADVA NCE
Leverage milestones to drive progress, including high-level global leadership
meetings and in-country partnership meetings.

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
Gatherings of high-level leaders provide unique opportunities for the partnership to advance its agenda. Two types of
meetings are important to consider as milestones to drive progress before and during the meetings:
–– Global or regional meetings of high-level leaders (e.g. G7 Summit, World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, COP21),
where country leaders can strengthen commitments on relevant economic, social or environmental issues, formalize
support for new initiatives or promote the success of existing initiatives.
–– Country-level partnership meetings where high-level leaders engage with the broader partnership (typically one to
three times per year, often including “bosses of bosses” such as ministers or chief executive officers who are not actively
involved in the partnership but have critical decision-making power).

Key Activities
Direction-Setting Group
Led by Secretariat,
with input and Working Groups
participation from
across the
partnership. Secretariat
Set and communicate deadlines. Use these meetings as
deadlines to drive progress, especially in the early stages of
partnership. The need to report out to high-level leaders can be
a powerful motivation for delivery on projects at all levels.
Prepare reports on partnership progress and action
opportunities. These meetings provide opportunities to
strengthen leadership support, elevate challenges requiring
action by high-level leaders, and secure new commitments
to advance the partnership’s agenda. Preparation is required
to make the most of these opportunities, including creating
reports that highlight the partnership’s progress and impact.
Reports should highlight specific case studies, impact
statistics, visuals and quotes that tell the partnership’s story in a
compelling way. (For examples of reports, refer to the NVA 2014
Progress Report, Grow Asia Forum 2015 summary report and
Grow Africa 2014-2015 report on Progress and Priorities).
Share learnings, troubleshoot problems and celebrate
success. Leaders often lack a direct forum to communicate
with peers in other sectors or stakeholder groups, so these
meetings can lead to live troubleshooting and joint problem-
solving as different leaders share their perspectives on
challenges, potential solutions and lessons from their own
experience. When all partners are together, be sure to take
the opportunity to celebrate successes – regardless of how
big or small – to generate renewed energy, camaraderie and
momentum among partners of all levels.
Tips for Success
How can the government be engaged
on key issues beyond major convenings?
Set up recurring meetings. Many
partnerships have driven dialogue and policy
changes through small, periodic meetings
with government ministers or their deputies.
For example, in Mozambique two to three
partnership leaders meet monthly with local
officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, while
in Indonesia a large partnership delegation
travels to Jakarta three times per year to meet
with four ministers.
Bring in companies interested in investing.
When it is difficult to secure meetings with
ministers, some partnerships have invited
multinationals to visit the country and meet
with the ministry to demonstrate interest in
investing and articulate what is needed to
create the right environment for them to move
forward.
Commission and share policy papers.
Policy research papers can help provide fact-
based, objective viewpoints about the impact
of policy changes, which helps create a
credible case for further dialogue and action.
Using the media to publicize the results of
papers can provide additional weight and spur
quick action.
Elevate the voice of farmers. In some
country contexts (especially those with strong
farmers’ organizations), farmers have a special
ability to get the government’s attention. When
farmers can join meetings to make a direct
economic and social case for government
actions, it may lend the most credibility.

26 New Vision for Agriculture

 ST EP
6 CASE ST UDY
MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Biannual Partnership Meetings Engage Ministers,
Farmers and New Partners
The Maharashtra PPP-IAD brings together all project leads,
government coordinators and stakeholders twice a year to
report progress, showcase successful projects and engage
with the Secretary of Agriculture on key issues. These
meetings are timed strategically to mirror harvest patterns,
with one meeting each spring when new project cycles are
about to open and one meeting each fall before the next
winter crop season. The meetings convene nearly 100
people and serve as a critical gathering for many critical stakeholders:
–– The smaller group of PPP-IAD Direction-Setting Group reviews partnership progress and makes strategic decisions.
–– Core project co-leads present new innovations or challenges, exchange best practices and celebrate successes.
–– The Secretary of Agriculture engages with partners at all levels, renews commitment to the partnership and uses input
to review and change processes or policies as needed.
–– For the meetings, potential new partners are invited to join to learn about successful projects, witness the energy and
commitment of the partnership and pursue opportunities to get involved.

New Vision for Agriculture 27

 STEP
7 SCALE
Scale and institutionalize proven models, adapting lessons and innovations
developed in-country or through global/regional partnerships and networks

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
Scaling up partnership activities to maximize impact is one of the biggest challenges facing NVA-supported partnerships
today. Implementing a successful project or collaboration model is only the first step, as new interventions must ultimately
have a large enough impact to be meaningful within the overall country context. Partnerships work to scale their impact
with two end goals in mind:
–– Reaching the partnerships targets, as defined in the agenda-setting process in Step 2 (e.g. reaching 1 million farmers
or decreasing greenhouse emissions by a certain amount).
–– Arriving at the end state vision as defined in the agenda-setting process – that is, achieving a sector-wide
transformation (e.g. food security for all, improved environmental sustainability, etc.).
The two goals are related, but making this distinction is helpful as a partnership considers strategies for scaling. For
example, while a partnership can reach specific targets by expanding the breadth of a proven model, true transformation is
more subtle and may require expanding the depth of these models – and ultimately institutionalizing them to change rules,
behaviours and ways of working. Given the challenges of scaling impact, and the fact that NVA-supported partnerships
are still in relatively early stages, the strategies outlined below should not be taken as prescriptions, but as initial insights on
how to start making progress.

Key Activities (Strategies for Scale) Direction-Setting Group

Led by Working Groups and project leaders, with strategic guidance from
Working Groups
Direction-Setting Group.
To maximize impact, partnerships can pursue a combination of three strategies:
expanding breadth, expanding depth and institutionalizing. Secretariat
Expanding the breadth of impact (e.g. working with new farmers). This could include expanding the geographic
presence of an existing project with the same partners, replicating the project in a new site with the same partners, or
using a new/expanded group of partners to start new projects in new geographies or value chains. Keep in mind that
successful models may need to be tweaked as they expand.
Expanding the depth of impact (e.g. incorporating new services/market links for existing farmers). Consider the
full range of needs or challenges faced by farmers, and incorporate new interventions that help address a more compre-
hensive set of farmer issues. For example, this could include providing existing farmers with training or technical assistance
in additional crops, or providing new links to financial institutions or market information. Projects should ultimately seek to
address the root causes of farmer challenges to move towards long-term sustainability of new practices and models.
Institutionalizing (changing laws, rules or ways of working across all system actors). Improve the country’s enabling
environment (including policies, regulations and infrastructure), and ingrain new behaviours and ways of working within
and across organizations. This could include formalizing processes of multistakeholder collaboration within government
ministries, mainstreaming project approaches into the normal course of business, and strengthening farmer organizations
to support ongoing smallholder integration into value chains.

Tips for Success

How have partnerships enabled scaling strategies?
Link to major new initiatives or frameworks. These can include major initiatives launched by government or
intergovernmental bodies on which the partnership can help deliver.
Bring in new partners. New partners can bring new innovations and drive continuous improvements that support
scale – whether in the form of funding, technology, ideas or areas of expertise.
Leverage best practices from within and beyond the partnership. When seeking scaling innovations, partner-
ships should leverage models and technologies from other working groups, other partnerships or the broader market.
Increase secretariat capacity or mobilize new Working Groups in response to new opportunities or cross-
cutting challenges (see Step 8).

28 New Vision for Agriculture

 Financing Solutions to Achieve Scale
Innovative financing mechanisms that enable scale can be built within governments,
partnerships or independent organizations. These mechanisms can provide funds to
projects, small and medium-sized enterprises or farmers, depending on local needs and
the mix of participating partners. Four distinct mechanisms catalysed through country or In Focus
regional partnerships are profiled below:

Exhibit 8: Four Financing Mechanisms Catalysed through Country or Regional Partnerships

PPP-IAD Framework, Maharashtra, India Beira Corridor Catalytic Fund, Mozambique

Type: Government Co-Investment Vehicle Type: Partnership-Specific Social Venture Capital Fund
(Project-Level Investments) (SME Investments)
How was it created and funded? How was it created and funded?
–– A state-level “convergence program” created to align and –– Through donations from the Governments of the UK,
direct national funding from 7 programmes towards partnership Netherlands and Norway within the Beira Agricultural Growth
projects Corridor Partnership
What are its goals? Who is eligible? –– Managed by AgDevCo
–– Incentivize states in India –– Private sector players in What are its goals? Who is eligible?
to increase investment in the agriculture and allied –– Address the problem of the –– Mozambique, agriculture
agriculture sectors leading large-scale high upfront costs of developing linked, early-stage small
–– Provide co-investment for integrated projects through and scaling commercially viable and medium-sized
projects led by private sector the PPP-IAD agriculture businesses where enterprises
players to aggregate farmers market failures have prevented –– Businesses that
and integrate the agricultural access to commercial sources of demonstrate direct
supply chain finance benefits for smallholder
How does it work? –– Kick-start clusters of profitable farmers and local
–– Provides funding from 7 national programmes to projects under agricultural businesses in central communities
direct supervision of state governments, supported by national- Mozambique
level agencies How does it work?
–– Bases amount of assistance provided on state expenditure –– Provides low cost funding of $50,000-$500,000 to eligible
on agriculture and allied sectors; the more states invest in this businesses
sector, the more they receive from the central government –– Bases level of funding and cost of funds on the extent to which
businesses can guarantee direct benefits for smallholders and
local communities
–– Grantee businesses may enter into a joint venture with the
Lending for African Farming Company, Africa BAGC Catalytic Fund
–– Recycles profits into developing new local businesses when the
Type: Independent Blended Finance Vehicle fund sells its stakes in a project
(SME Financing)
How was it created and funded?
–– Initiated by AgDevCo, with the support of UKAid, through Grow
Africa’s Finance Working Group
Patient Procurement Platform, Africa
–– Public and philanthropic funding combined with private capital,
with anchor commitment from KfW/German government funds Type: Independent Blended Finance Vehicle
and investment by AgDevCo (Smallholder Investments)
–– Managed by Root Capital How was it created and funded?
What are its goals? Who is eligible? –– From a partnership between the United Nations World Food
–– Increase smallholder –– Agricultural enterprises that purchase Programme, Grow Africa and Rabobank
farmer productivity crops from smallholder farmers, –– Access to financial products from Rabobank and other partners
and incomes through or that provide them with yield- What are its goals? Who is eligible?
better integration in enhancing products, such as seeds –– Create efficient value chains –– Farmer organizations
local and regional and fertilizers, and related services that enhance farmer incomes selected by the World Food
agricultural value –– Debt financing available to a wide –– Develop whole value Programme based upon
chains, and improve range of agricultural enterprises, chains and unlock services previous work
access to formal including cooperatives and private downstream
markets businesses How does it work?
How does it work? –– Establishes a stable demand-driven purchase system based on
–– Provides lines of credit and other flexible debt products in forward contracts between producers and commercial actors
amounts of up to $4 million –– Aggregates demand from a consortium of buyers over longer
periods

New Vision for Agriculture 29

 ST EP
7 CASE ST UDIES

INDONESIA VIETNAM
Expanding the Depth and Breadth of Impact in the Institutionalizing Multistakeholder Collaboration
Corn Supply Chain in Coffee

As of October 2015, the PISAgro Corn Working Group In 2013, the success of the Vietnam Coffee Task Force
had trained over 320,281 corn farmers, resulting in 33% led the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
productivity increases and 44% increases in farmer to institutionalize partnership efforts by establishing the
income. To help corn farmers integrate more sustainably Vietnam Coffee Coordinating Board (VCCB), a government-
into the supply chain, three companies launched a new hosted, multistakeholder-governed entity to coordinate the
pilot project to go beyond training and increase farmers’ sustainable development of the coffee sector. Through the
access to offtakers and the formal banking system. The VCCB, the public, private and civil society sectors meet
pilot combined farmer training on high-quality inputs from every six months to align the government’s programmes on
Monsanto, loans through Bank Rakyat Indonesia, and coffee production, processing and trade with partnership
post-harvest training and guaranteed purchases by Cargill activities and to study and recommend sector policy and
– leading to higher incomes, decreased risk and improved strategy.
“bankability” and market knowledge that can ultimately
help farmers achieve better outcomes independently. In In 2015, the Minister of Finance approved the
2016, these three companies plan to expand the integrated establishment of a new “Coffee Development Fund” to
supply chain model to new farmers in new geographies. finance precompetitive work in the coffee sector, such
as infrastructure development, research on new planting
Syngenta, Bank Andara and Mercy Corps Indonesia also material and “harnessing the role of the middle man”. The
formed a partnership that worked on microfinancing a pilot funds will come from a tax applied on coffee exports, and
project with corn farmers in West Nusa Tenggara. Syngenta the VCCB will decide which precompetitive priorities to fund.
provides training and assistance to farmers, Bank Andara
through BPR Akbar Pesisir (a rural bank) provides access
to working capital through microfinance credit for farmers
to buy better inputs, and Mercy Corps Indonesia provides
financial literacy trainings to farmers.
At the same time, Cargill is working with other partners in
the Corn Working Group to launch other pilot projects that
expand the breadth of impact to new farmers currently
focusing on coconut. The coconut-corn intercropping
project seeks to diversify and increase the income for 400
coconut farmers by linking them to training and buyers in
the corn market.

30 New Vision for Agriculture

MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Institutionalizing a State-Level Partnership

The Maharashtra PPP-IAD started as a pilot project under

the Ministry of Agriculture in 2011, with 11 public-private
demonstration projects reaching 115,000 farmers. Over the
next three years, the partnership expanded the depth and
breadth of its impact by bringing in new partners to launch
more than 30 new projects, increasing partner investment
to expand project reach to nearly 500,000 farmers and
incorporating new innovations, such as mobile weather
forecasting and market information services.
In 2014, following independent impact evaluations, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra institutionalized the partnership by
formally championing the PPP-IAD and naming it a priority for engagement with private sector partners by all government
channels. Based on the momentum generated through formal government championship and demonstrated project
success to-date, the PPP-IAD set a new target to reach 2.5 million farmers by 2020.

New Vision for Agriculture 31

 STEP
8 R E VIE W
Review partnership strategy and structures as needed to seize new
opportunities over time.

Engage Align Structure Plan Implement Advance Scale Review

Overview
All country sectors are living, constantly evolving systems, so partnerships must stay flexible and adapt to stay relevant
in changing country contexts. Partnerships should review both their strategies and their structures periodically and as
required by transitions in leadership.
Key Activities Direction-Setting Group
Led by Direction-Setting Group, with support from Secretariat.
Working Groups
Review partnership results and strategy periodically. Using the impact
frameworks, KPIs and processes defined during Step 4, aggregate and
review the results generated by the partnership’s activities. Incorporate regular Secretariat
independent evaluations to help provide an objective lens. At least once per
year, revisit the partnership strategy and consider three overarching questions:
–– Is the partnership providing value? Partnerships should evaluate their overall impact in the country’s agricultural
sector and how progress is tracking against its vision and goals. Consider whether the partnership goals, vision and role
in transformation is still feasible and relevant as the country context evolves.
–– What’s working and what’s not? The process of building a multistakeholder partnership is complex, challenging and
requires continuous improvement. Mistakes will be made and lessons will be learned, so it is important to have open
discussions with partnership leaders about what they need from the partnership, what’s working well and what needs to
change.
–– Can the partnership aim higher? If the partnership is exceeding expectations, consider raising the targets. Look for
new opportunities to expand partnership impact, whether in new geographies, new crops or new dimensions of country
transformation (e.g. related environmental or social development goals).
Evolve partnership structure to seize new opportunities. Three ways country partnerships often evolve include:
–– Establish a secretariat. As partnerships grow and pursue new opportunities, the requirements for overall management
and coordination activities increase. As a result, many partnerships that started with informal coordinating structures
make the decision to set up a new secretariat with dedicated resources after one or multiple years of successful
expansion. Mexico, Vietnam, Myanmar, Maharashtra, Ghana and Nigeria are just a few examples of countries currently
working to set up secretariats.
–– Revise secretariat functions or capacity. Many secretariats take on new roles as they identify additional needs.
This could include linking the partnership to R&D, setting up a new funding mechanism or creating new information
platforms. Keep in mind that new secretariat functions may require growing the secretariat’s staff and revisiting the key
design questions outlined in Step 3.
–– Restructure or mobilize new Working Groups in response to new opportunities or cross-cutting challenges.
This can include creating multiple Working Groups to support increased participation in highly successful value chains
or creating issue-specific Working Groups based on common challenges across value chains within the country.
For example, partnerships have created Working Groups on agrifinance, women’s empowerment and environmental
sustainability to address key systemic gaps that hinder opportunities for
impact across the partnership.

32 New Vision for Agriculture

 Tips for Success

How can a transition in government administration (and the loss of a public-sector champion) be managed?
Emphasize neutrality, impact and relevance to the new administration’s agenda. As many political leaders
prefer to distance themselves from predecessor agendas, it is critical to position the partnership as a neutral,
independent catalyst for change. During conversations with the new government, demonstrate the partnership’s
economic and social contributions through case studies and impact statistics, emphasizing how the contributions
align with the new administration’s stated agenda. Keep in mind that partnership leaders may need to engage
networks across the partnership to gain access to the new administration, which can take time.
Institute risk mitigation strategies for the partnership. Multistakeholder participation is key to anchor the
partnership when there is volatility in one group. Formal, independent secretariats can also help institutionalize the
partnership and decrease dependence on the voluntary championship of individual leaders.
Identify catalysts for change. The best opportunities to gain a new Champion aren’t always with new political
leaders, but can sometimes be found with leaders looking for a new approach at the middle or end of their term.
Look beyond the government roles currently engaged by the partnership and consider whether any other leaders
have recently announced new priorities or aligned to new interests that may be relevant to the partnership.

ST EP
8 CASE ST UDY
MEXICO
Lessons from a Political Transition

During 2011-2012, the Mexico partnership secured

championship and alignment among the global and local
private sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and other key
stakeholders as described in Step 1. The partnership began
to serve as a platform to build collaboration among diverse
stakeholders, focusing on five specific value chains. In 2012,
political elections brought a new administration into power,
and a new Minister of Agriculture came into office with a
new agenda. Partnership leaders and the World Economic Forum engaged senior ministry officials in dialogue to identify
shared priorities and define a new strategy for the partnership that would contribute to the national priorities defined by
the ministry. The partnership was rebranded and repositioned, gaining championship from the new minister and senior
officials, with focus on:
–– Advancing areas of mutual priority, such as developing agribusiness clusters, agro-logistics hubs and economic
development in the south-east region of the country
–– Benefiting smallholder farmers through investment in inclusive business models, particularly for coffee and cacao
When the minister proposed a new three-year vision for Mexico’s agricultural sector in 2014, the strategy recognized the
New Vision for Agrifood Development (VIDA) as a platform for mobilizing key private-sector inputs to deliver on its goals.
VIDA has now been established as an independent organization, with a small secretariat team supported by 20 local and
global partner companies.

New Vision for Agriculture 33

Conclusion
Building a multistakeholder partnership is a journey, and
partnership leaders continue to improve and refine their
approach over time. As this initial guide is shared and
utilized throughout 2016, it will serve as a basis for
incorporating new insights, tools and case studies. We
welcome feedback from readers, as well as recommen-
dations on how it can be strengthened moving forward.
Because national partnership platforms are a relatively
recent innovation, there are few existing models that
stakeholders can follow, and partnership leaders find
themselves inventing new structures and approaches in
real time. This generates a great deal of innovation, but also
raises the risk of reinventing the wheel or repeating mistakes
others have already made.
In 2013 the NVA established a Transformation Leaders
Network to link country partnership leaders across all
geographies with global partners and experts, in order to
facilitate the exchange of experiences, learnings and best
34 New Vision for Agriculture
practices. The Network, engaging 150 members from
diverse regions and stakeholder groups, convenes in
person and communicates virtually throughout the year.
It aims to accelerate the learning process by connecting
partnership leaders to a global network of peers and
advisers who can share innovations and solutions to
common challenges.
In October 2015, members of the Network participated
in a workshop in which they provided input on this guide,
endorsed the NVA Country Partnership Model and
committed to support each other in implementing it going
forward. They agreed on the statement reproduced on the
following page.
Our hope is that the guiding principles and key steps
outlined in this guide will serve as a resource for current
and future Transformation Leaders around the world who
are working to establish partnerships to transform food and
agricultural systems.
Transformation Leaders Statement on the NVA Country Partnership Model
October 2015, Amsterdam, Netherlands
We, the Transformation Leaders Network, have a framework for action to achieve sustainable, inclusive and
equitable agricultural development and food and nutrition security through an approach which is:
–– Locally-owned and aligned with country goals
–– Market-driven with projects led by the private sector and rooted in viable business cases
–– Multistakeholder with open and inclusive engagement from the beginning
–– Holistic integrating full value chains that benefit all actors in the agricultural system
–– Globally connected and supported by an international network providing solidarity and support
We are taking action through this approach in 19 countries with support from a global platform (the New Vision for
Agriculture) and beyond.
We commit to:
–– Champion and share this approach with others
–– Continuously refine and improve this approach
–– Measure and share results and outcomes
–– Support each other on the journey, including sharing practical local case studies
–– Value and appreciate this community

New Vision for Agriculture 35

Annex A: Partnership Structures and
Core Functions

While each NVA-supported partnership platform has established unique structures based on the local environment, the
three key leadership groups often perform the functions detailed below (continued from Step 3):

Core Functions of the Direction-Setting Group

Defining and Championing the Vision
–– Building collective ownership of a problem to encourage participation and shared leadership
–– Developing and disseminating a group narrative to find common ground and inspiration
–– Establishing and promoting a common agenda across sectors
Engaging in Decision-Making and Delivering on Commitments
–– Working consistently to build the enabling environment in accordance with the needs outlined in the vision
–– Responding to stakeholder issues in a timely manner, engaging highest levels of country leadership where necessary
–– Communicating decisions throughout organizations and holding accountability for implementation
Strategically Growing the Partnership
–– Defining a strategy for funding and/or partner engagement
–– Identifying and engaging new strategic partners through existing networks and proactive outreach

Core Functions of Working Groups

Defining and Implementing Action Plans
–– Collaborating with Working Group members to define roles, responsibilities and business/collaboration models
–– Identifying gaps in project-level expertise or the enabling environment and engaging local actors or experts as necessary
–– Tracking progress against goals
Building the Business Case and Securing Funding
–– Building the business case for specific projects and investments
–– Securing and managing project funding
Monitoring and Sharing Results
–– Sharing lessons learned and best practices with the broader partnership
–– Raising significant issues or gaps to appropriate levels of partnership leadership

Core Functions of the Secretariat

Engaging and Coordinating Partners
–– Coordinating partnership activities through consistent communication with Working Groups, the Direction-Setting Group, new and existing partner
organizations, and the government
–– Serving as the link to global and regional NVA platforms to coordinate activities and share progress, best practices, etc.
–– Providing transparency and a central information repository for partnership members and external stakeholders

Brokering Collaboration
–– Identifying and catalysing specific collaboration opportunities within the partnership
–– Engaging new organizations and brokering relationships to strengthen the partnership
–– Facilitating discussion and trust-building among new and existing partners
–– Troubleshooting issues and addressing concerns for new and existing partners
Supporting Strategy Development
–– Liaising with the highest levels of country and partnership leadership to shape and execute partnership strategy
–– Mobilizing research and knowledge resources for the benefit of the partnership
–– Providing policy and legal advice (often contracted)
Convening and Organizing
–– Organizing partnership-related meetings and events to advance partnership activities
–– Facilitating dialogue and problem-solving with high-level leadership, and advancing decision-making through consistent follow up

Monitoring and Reporting

–– Developing and implementing reporting frameworks, preparing partnership-level reports for circulation to partners
–– Collecting and synthesizing success stories and common gaps/challenges to feed into communications and convening

Supporting Partnership Leadership and Governance

–– Supporting partnership leaders with Board or Committee meetings or assisting with annual or financial reports

36 New Vision for Agriculture

Annex B: Grow Asia Project
Design Checklist

Grow Asia has created a Project Design Checklist to help country partnerships understand and strive for
the integration of core social and environmental issues into the upfront design of their activities. To achieve
this, the Project Design Checklist provides an overview of key considerations to guide country partnership
Working Groups as they conceptualize and develop their activities. The checklist does not dictate prescribed
implementation approaches. It is meant to provide Grow Asia partners with guideposts for which design
elements to include in a best-in-class project. The Checklist is also designed to link to the Grow Asia
Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, which proposes measurement of the same elements over time.

Grow Asia Project Design Checklist: Influence Design to Optimize Impact and Mitigate Risks

The project helps smallholder farmers achieve an increase in production and

Farmer
profits. Consultation with farmers and/or farmer organizations during the design
Engagement
of a project can facilitate early buy-in and subsequent project implementation.

The project includes women smallholder farmers, providing them with equal opportunity to
Women Economic
increase their productivity and profitability. Women farmers are proactively included and engaged
Empowerment
in both the project design and implementation.

The project promotes good agricultural practices among men and women smallholder farmers,
Healthy and Safe
including but not limited to training about chemical input usage, the need for safety equipment, the
Farming Practices
safe disposal of hazardous waste, and farm management.

Equitable Land The project consults with the community – both men and women smallholder farmers – about
Rights land security, land rights and use of land during the conceptualization of the project.

Efficient Water The project helps reduce water usage per ton of production through better practice or technology
Use adoption on the farm.

Reduction in
The project integrates specific actions on the farm to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per ton of
Greenhouse Gas
production.
Emissions

Improved Soil The project reduces external chemical input usage by smallholder farmers to improve – over the
Quality long term – soil nutrient balance and quality.

New Vision for Agriculture 37

Annex C: Acknowledgements

Over 1,400 leaders have contributed their time, talent and championship to the partnerships described in this Guide. The
World Economic Forum in particular wishes to thank the leaders of country and regional partnerships noted below:

Grow Africa
Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency; Co-Chair of the Grow Africa
Steering Committee
Mark Bowman, Managing Director, Africa, SAB Miller; Co-Chair of the Grow Africa Steering Committee
Arne Cartridge, Executive Director, Grow Africa (2011-2015)
Tanzania
Salum Shamte, Managing Director, Katani; Chairman of the Board, Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania
(SAGCOT)
Geoffrey Kirenga, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT)
Mozambique
Emerson Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor (BAGC)
Ethiopia
Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Chairman of the Board, Ethiopian Agriculture Transformation
Agency (ATA)
Khalid Bomba, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)
Nigeria
Emmanuel Ijewere, Chief Executive Officer, Best Foods; Chief Executive Officer and Coordinator, Nigerian Agribusiness
Group (NABG)
Grow Asia
Franky Oesman Widjaja, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food; Co-Chair of the Grow Asia
Business Council
Wan Ling Martello, Executive Vice-President, Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East, Nestlé SA; Co-Chair of the Grow Asia
Business Council
Anna Chilczuk, Regional Director, East Asia, Mercy Corps; Civil Society Council representative on the Grow Asia
Steering Committee
Esther Penunia, Secretary-General, Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development; Farmer Organization
representative on the Grow Asia Steering Committee
Kavita Prakash-Mani, Executive Director, Grow Asia
Indonesia
Rashid Aleem Qureshi, President Director, Nestle Indonesia; Co-Chair of the PISAgro Board
Franky Oesman Widjaja, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food; Co-Chair of the
PISAgro Board
Danumurthi Mahendra, Executive Director, Secretariat, PISAgro
Vietnam
Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Co-Chair of the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in
Vietnam (PSAV)
Ganesan Ampalavanar, Managing Director, Nestle Vietnam; Co-Chair of the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in
Vietnam (PSAV)
Dang Kim Son, Senior Adviser, Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV)
Myanmar
David Pettinari, Managing Director, Nestle Vietnam; Chair of Core Committee, Myanmar Agriculture Network (MAN)

38 New Vision for Agriculture

Tin Htut Oo, Chair, National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC) and Chairman, Agriculture Group, Yoma
Strategic Holdings; Policy Advisor to the Myanmar Agriculture Network (MAN)
Philippines
Rohit Jawa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Philippines; Co-Chair of the Philippines Partnership for
Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA)
Proceso Alcala, Secretary of Agriculture; Co-Chair of the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA)
India
Jaidev Shroff, Chief Executive Officer, UPL Ltd.; Chair of the India Business Council
Dinesh Kumar Jain, Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture, Maharashtra, India; Chair of the Maharashtra PPP-IAD
initiative
Rajeev Chawla, Principal Secretary of Horticulture, Karnataka, India; Chair of the Karnataka PPP-IHD initiative
Sudhir Kumar Goel, Senior Adviser, PPP-IAD initiatives
Prasun Sarkar, Secretariat Manager, Maharashtra PPP-IAD initiative
Mexico
José Ernesto Cacho Ribeiro, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Minsa; Co-Chair of the New Vision for Agrifood Development
(VIDA, A.C.)
Marcelo Melchior, President and Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Nestle Mexico; Co-Chair of the New Vision for Agrifood
Development (VIDA, A.C.)
Enrique Merigo, Technical Secretary, New Vision for Agrifood Development (VIDA, A.C.)
NVA Global Leadership Groups
Sean De Cleene, Senior Vice-President, Global Initiatives, Strategy and Business Development, Yara International; Chair of
the NVA Project Board
Gerda Verburg, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations Agencies in Rome; Chair of the Global
Agenda Council on Food and Nutrition Security

The Forum gratefully acknowledges the financial and in-kind support of the following organizations:
Global Challenge on Food Security and Agriculture NVA Project Board Companies
Kingdom of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A.P Møller-Mærsk PepsiCo Inc.
Government of Canada
BASF SE Rabobank
Wellcome Trust International
Bayer CropScience AG
Deloitte Consulting (2015-2016) Royal DSM
Bunge Limited
McKinsey & Company (2009-2013) Sinar Mas
Cargill Inc.
Agribusiness & Food
Grow Africa Carlsberg
Swiss Reinsurance
US Agency for International Development (USAID) CF Industries Holdings Inc.
Company Ltd.
UK Department for International Development (DFID) Dow Chemical Company
Syngenta
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) DuPont International AG
Rabobank HEINEKEN The Coca-Cola
A.T. Kearney International Finance Company
IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative Corporation Unilever
Louis Dreyfus Commodities UPL Ltd.
Grow Asia
Mondelez International Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Australian Government Department for Foreign
Monsanto Company Wilmar International
Affairs and Trade
Nestlé SA Yara International ASA
Canadian Government's Global Affairs Canada
Novozymes A/S

New Vision for Agriculture 39

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